Spring-wheel.



o.` A. Ecm. SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 19|?- sNvENToR @0 Mc're.

ATTORNEY:

0. A. ECKRE..

SPRING WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAY sflsu.

f; SHEETS-HSELT MII, I

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INVENR 01301? A. ECKRE, OF KINDRED, NORTH DAKOTA.

SERING-WHEEL.

Application filed May 8, 1917.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, @Lor A. ECKRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kindred. in the county of Cass and State of `North Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Spring-lVheel, of which the following is a specification.

rl`his invention has reference to that class ci vehicle wheels in which resilient spokes are so associated and combined with the hub and the rim to form a spring wheel and my said invention primarily has for its purpose io provide an improved construction of wheel of the general type stated in which the coperating parts are especially designed to provide suiiicient yielding of the hub, relatively to the rim or telly, for relieving` the vehicle from violence of sudden shocks incident in the ordinary road travel of wheels and vet produce a wheel, as stated, ofgreat stability, in which the parts are adapted to permit the spokes to have the required radial movement with respect to the hub and the rim or telly, due to their resiliency and with Y the spokes s0 attached to the hub and the rim that danger of the wheel dishing along the hub center is reduced to the minimum.

lVith other objects in view that will hereinafter be explained, my invention consists in the new construction of spring wheel which embodies the peculiar features and novel combination of the parts set out in the :following description, .specifically stated in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, of a portion of my improved spring wheel.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a complete wheel, one of the V-shaped clamps being omitted. l

Fig. 3 is a detail section of the hub memher.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the V- shaped resilient spokes.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the V-shaped spoke retaining clamps hereinafter referred to.

ln the drawings, I have illustrated my improved spring wheel construction combined with a resilient tire construction built up of small arch shaped wire rings 1 that include end loops 10 designed for being edgewise movedinto engagement with annular circular pockets 20-20 formed on the opposite edges of a metal rim 2, preferably a. single member split at one point, with the Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. i2, 1918.

Serial No. 167,333.

split ends provided with angled brackets la arranged tor being secured by bolts and nuts 40a and 41a, as shown in Fig. l.

The rim construction .shown constitutes, however, per se, no part of my present invention, since the same forms the subject matter of my copending application, Serial No. 192,001, feed September is, 1917.

Y My present invention, which has reference to improved spring wheel construction, embodies a hub casting 5 formed with a series oi equi-spaced radial arms 50, the adjacent edges of each pair of which are shaped to produce substantially V-shaped seats or bea-ring pockets 5l into which are received the inner ends of the spring spokes secured in the said pockets in the manner best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The spring spokes 6, all of which are constructed (alike, consist each of a substantially il-shaped main heavy flat spring member and a supplemental like shaped member 61 of less thickness than the main member 60 and of somewhat less length than the ,said member 60, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4, by reference to which it will also be seen that the supplemental spring member 61 seats against the inner tace of the main member 6() and the V-shaped portions of the two spring members 60 and 61 .snugly iit into the correspondingly il-shaped radial pockets 51,

in the hub 5, and in which the said V-shaped portions of the springs are firmly secured by V -shaped clamps 7, one et which is shown in detail in Fig. 5.

The clamps 7 are held down against the loo-p ends of the spring members 60-61 by wedge shaped cross bolts 8 that pass through apertures 8O in the hub casting 5, and the tapered ends of the said bolts 8, which are threaded as at 81, after the spring spokes are assembled on the hub, are passed through apertures 90 in a hub plate 9 to receive the nuts 91,-it being understood that by tightening up the nuts 91, the wedge bolts 8 will be drawn down into the crotches of the V- shaped clamps 7 that secureV the inner ends oi the spoke members to the hub.

11-11 designate other bolts that fasten the hub plate 9 in the desired fixed position on the hub.

Each of the radial hub members, between which the inner ends of the springs 60 and 6l are secured, have inwardly projected lugs 12-12 that form side bearings for one of the edges of the springs 60 and 6l and the V- shaped clamp 7 has like lugs 70-70 that engage the opposite side edges of the springs and'61 and the said two opposing lugs 12 and 7() serve to hold the inner ends orP the springs 60 and 61 from buckling laterally, the hub plate Q2 also materially aiding in holdingl the hub and spring connections in rigid relation to prevent lateral dishing of the Wheel at' the hub portion thereof. The outer ends of the main spring members 60 are bent and formed into S-shaped bearing portionsy and the said portions terminate in circular loops 62 that seat in circularlike sockets 15a in bearings 15 secured to the rim or telly by bolts 16a, see Fig. 1, which also shows side plates 17-17"-, one of Which 17 is cast on the bearing 15 and the other of which is removably secured on the casting and to the opposite plate 17 by bolt and rivet connections 18.

From the foregoing description read in connection with the drawings, the complete construction Vof both forms of my spring Wheel will be readily understood.

The cooperative connections of the parts yconstituting the Wheel are such, that the said parts may be easily assembled in their proper operative condition, securely held and also easily disconnected incase of repairs.

Among other advantages gained in my special construction and arrangement of parts is that, by reason of the S-shaped ends of the spring spokes, making each spoke V- shaped and mounting the same on the hub so that tWo relatively divergingly projected spoke members are producedvhaving, as it were, a single bearing or mount on the hub and two Vdistinct and resilient connections With the rim or felly, danger of the spokes breaking under lateral or radil compression is reduced to the minimum, the flexibility of the said spokes, especially at the S-shaped ends, serving to thoroughly dissipate the violence of shocks occurring to the .rim and at the same time protectingv the hub.

The tensile strength of the said spokes holds the hub concentric to the rim VWhile the manner of connecting the inner and outer ends of the spokes tends to hold the said spokes from being deflected out of vthe plane of the Wheel.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. A Wheel comprising a rim,'a hub having radial members and radial pockets, a

epie o! this patent may be obtained for series of spokes, one for each hub pocket and each pair of radial hub members, the said spokes each consisting of a spring bent upon itself to form diverging spoke members, the bent end orp each spring being adapted for seating in a hub pocket With the diveiging members engaging'a coincident pair of radial hubinembers, a Wedge block engaging each ofthe bent ends of the spokes, means `for locking the said blocks to their spring spoke clamping position, each of the said blocks including oppositely extending lateral portions for lapping over the edges of the respective diverging members of the spring, and means for connecting the spokes and t ie rim.

2. A Wheel comprising a rim, a hubl having radial members, a series of spokes each consisting of a spring bent rupon itself to form diverging spoke members, means for clamping the bent end of the spring Yonto one of the radial hub members, vthe said means consisting of a ll-shaped pocket in the radial hub member :tor receiving the bent end of the spring, a clamp block for fitting in the bent end ot' the spring, a Wedge lock engaging' the radial hub member and the said clamp block for locking the clamp block to the bent end of the spring in the said radial hub member pocket, and other means for attaching the ends of the diverging spoke members tothe rim, said clamp- 'block having lateral lugs for engaging one edge Vof the adjacent spring portion, each radial hub member having like lugs for engaging the other edge portions of the spring. 3. In aspring wheel, the combination with the ,rimv and the hub; of spokes formed of V-shaped spring members, each having its bent portion adapted for being ixedly attached to the Wheel hub, the end of each diverging portion of the spring terminating in S-.shaped coils with the. outermost coil formed into a loop, and means for securing each of the said coiledand looped ends of the spring to the rim, the said meansconsisting of a pair of opposing side plates that embracethe opposite edges of the `said S- shaped coils, one of the said side plates having an integral bearing formed with a socket for receiving the looped end of the coils and flanged portions for attaching to the Wheel rim and clamping bolts that secure the said opposing side plates against the said coiled end of each spring portion.

OLOF A. ECKRE.

ve cents each, by addressing thel Commissioner o! Eatants. Washington. 13.9. v 

